Culture

This oral sex anthem emerged as an early breakout from Eilish’s third album Hit Me Hard and Soft. With an opening line like, “I could eat that girl for lunch,” the superstar makes the recipient of her attention and affection perfectly clear, and continues to use she/her pronouns throughout. Yet, the best line of all is tucked at the end of the first chorus: “Clothеs on the counter for you, try ’em on/If I’m allowеd, I’ll help you take ’em off,” proving that consent is the hottest act of all. — LYNDSEY HAVENS

One of the year’s biggest breakout stars packs a lot of tough love into her highest-charting song to date, reminding listeners through a soaring chorus and retro synths that your true self can never be stifled — so you might as well live as you are, and have fun dancing while you’re at it. Produced by Dan Nigro, “Good Luck, Babe!” soundtracked Roan’s meteoric ascent to fame in the first half of 2024 and invited thousands of queer and questioning folks to belt along to its cathartic chorus — whether they resonated more with the singer’s frustrated narrator or her identity-confused subject — at Coachella, Gov Ball and all the rest of the Missouri native’s headline-making live performances.  — HANNAH DAILEY

Canadian singer-songwriter Charlotte Day Wilson could’ve had a perfectly good kiss-off song on her hands with “Canopy,” centerpiece to her 2024 album Cyan Blue. “It’s like a canopy, all that hate/ And I’m above it, can’t live that way,” she boldly proclaims to an angry and self-pitying lover in the song’s spiky, cacophonous chorus. All fair, and in a proud R&B tradition. But what makes the song so much richer is the late-song twist, where the groove drops out completely and a suddenly-not-so-sure Wilson wonders, “When the light comes through/ Am I the same as you?/ Just a different shade of blue?” When you get outside the canopy of a bad relationship, the brightness can be discomfiting — and raise hard questions about how much darkness you’ve already absorbed. — ANDREW UNTERBERGER

A full three years after dropping Sling, Clairo finally returned with “Sexy to Someone,” a reflective midtempo jam broken up by a mellow woodwind refrain that finds the singer-songwriter wishing for a little excitement in her love life. Fleshed out with feathery harmonies and piano, the track is perfect for timid hopeless romantics everywhere, perhaps even LGBTQ folks who feel a little too shy to jump head-first into the community’s oftentimes hyper-bold spaces and celebrations, during Pride Month or otherwise. — H.D.

What, do you need a map? “I need the girls all to the dancefloor,” Toronto-based singer-songwriter Debby Friday repeatedly pronounces in no uncertain terms over a knocking, hiccuping beat, interrupted only by the occasional zooming synths for punctuation. No other instructions or details are really needed, but Friday also offers some verse shading about her need to both freak and tweak, and offers the club couplet to beat in 2024: “I need to feel the violence/ Shake my ass like a nihilist.” — A.U.

Between Miss Milan’s simmering house-inflected beat, Doechii’s swaggering flow and JT’s trademark stank attitude, “Alter Ego” is an undeniable anthem for anyone who recognizes themselves as That B—h™. The track — Doechii’s first release of 2024 and her first song to reach the Billboard charts since 2023’s Hot 100 hit “What It Is” (No. 29) — finds two ascendant rap stars trading bars that effortlessly embody the unfettered confidence and cool of the ballroom scene while still paying homage to their shared Florida roots with a healthy dash of Miami bass in the background. Who knew a playground taunt could be flipped into such a sticky hook?!  — KYLE DENIS

On “Doing Better,” Fletcher says “f–k it” to keeping up pretenses and makes a beeline straight to brutal honesty. She knows her listeners have already overanalyzed the story of Becky and the vintage t-shirt, so she catches us all up on how she’s doing — and, honestly, it’s a mixed bag. She’s been performing with icons like Miley Cyrus and her “pussy diet” sounds like it’s been treating Fletcher well. But, through gritty guitars and a sly beat, she also admits her tummy still hurts. The track is everything we’re all too afraid to say to our exes, wrapped in a tempered spring bop. — TAYLOR MIMS

In the sonic universe of Norwegian singer-songwriter Girl in Red, astonishing lyrical frankness is currency. She’s admitted to “intrusive thoughts like cutting my hands off” on “Serotonin,” and retorted that her sexuality is “not a phase or a coming of age” on “Girls” — so why would she ever tone herself down for someone else? “Too Much,” the lead single off the star’s criminally underrated sophomore LP I’m Doing It Again Baby!, embraces all the lyrical idiosyncrasies that make Girl in Red a star as she tells her lover that if she’s done editing herself for the sake of their relationship. “You think I’m weird when I get too excited,” she sneers. “I think it’s weird how you’re so empty minded.” Even the production lends a hand, starting off with simple pop melodies before ratcheting up into the singer’s free-wheeling alternative style to drive the point home; if you don’t like what makes her special, you’re free to leave. — STEPHEN DAW

In a time when we desperately need Pride to be a protest, queer rock group Gossip is making sure the community has an anthem to assemble behind. “Real Power,” off the trio’s album of the same name, sees the rock group reuniting after a decade apart to rally their fans into action against a world that would see them accept fate as it is. Ditto’s voice adds the necessary grit to this dance-punk anthem as she asks both her audience and the powers that be to take her for who and what she is. As she wails out a command to “give me something real” on the song’s infectious chorus, you can practically feel the sovereignty she’s singing about. The question, then, is what are you going to do with it? — S.D.

There isn’t a more vulnerable state than being sick with a life-altering disease, but Halsey still finds the strength to open herself up to love on the gentle lead single of their upcoming fifth studio album, the title of which hasn’t yet been announced. “The End” finds the usually bold singer’s voice cracking as they sing about having “poison in my brain and in my blood” from doctor’s appointments and treatment sessions over soft acoustic guitar, serving as a heartbreaking announcement to fans that she’s been battling Lupus along with a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder since 2022. — H.D.

Don’t tempt Jade LeMac with a good time, because she just might take you up on it. After getting very real with her fans on her 2023 EP Confessions, LeMac returned in 2024 with even more to say on “Narcissistic.” Brooding, dark-pop synths populate the background of the singer’s track, facilitating an air of slight menace as she accepts her role as the villain in her ex’s story. Punchy lyrics, balanced production and a killer voice all make “Narcissistic” an immediate standout in LeMac’s growing discography. — S.D.

Featuring Peso Pluma and performed in both English and Spanish, this Hot Latin Songs chart topper (off Uchis’ fourth album Orquídeas) is a standard-setting song about deserving the best and refusing to settle for anything less – no matter who it’s about. As Uchis delicately describes an unattainable woman – “God’s favorite,” she repeats – the woman in question could just as well be herself or someone else, creating the kind of mystique that keeps listeners hitting replay. — L.H.

Despite a few duds, Kaytranada’s Timeless continues the Grammy-winning DJ’s hot streak, and the Childish Gambino-assisted “Witchy” is one of that LP’s key players. Across a slinky synth-laden beat, Gambino emulates Bad-era Michael Jackson with a vocal that rips from raspy, anguished exclamations to extended stays in his honeyed falsetto. “You make me feel like I’ve been floatin’/ This ain’t no spell, you got me open, girl,” he croons. In the same way that the subject of Gambino’s desire has him spellbound, Kaytranda’s moody, glitchy soundscape is a bewitching. Sitting squarely at the intersection of electronic music and R&B, “Witchy” is a hypnotic record, one that truly captures the supernatural allure of Black dance music.  — K.D.

A sexy, slick single with a chill vibe but insistent rhythm, “After Hours” is the kind of track that demonstrates Kehlani’s increased mastery of her craft with each passing year. 2022’s Blue Water Road deserved more love that it received, but thanks to sultry gems like this song (which boasts a nice retooling of Cordell ‘Scatta’ Burrell’s “Coolie Dance Rhythm”), eyes and ears are back on Kehlani as their fourth LP Crash hits the road. — JOE LYNCH

Attempting to put a label on Swiss singer Nemo’s “The Code” is an exercise in futility; the Eurovision-winning track works precisely because it is impossible to pin down. At one moment, “The Code” presents itself as a drum and bass banger as Nemo sings of traversing hell in order to find their truest self. The next moment, the track morphs into an operatic aria interpolating the Queen of the Night’s aria from Mozart’s The Magic Flute, as Nemo flexes their stunning countertenor vocal. In every shape it takes, “The Code” manages to blend function and form into a unifying message of shattering the boundaries placed on us, including (and especially) the gender binary. — S.D.

The single art shows a shirtless Omar Apollo clutching an anatomical model of a human, which is your first hint that “Spite” is pretty revealing. This shuffling alt-rock song finds him gently shaming a long-distance beau for being so far away while simultaneously trying to convince that person he doesn’t care … before admitting that, yeah, he does miss him. Delivered with a self-aware pout, “Spite” is a surprisingly sweet song about queer malaise and those moments where you know you shouldn’t bitch, but you’re going to anyway. — J.L.

While the title “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond Of Each Other” is a bit clunky, this country waltz between Orville Peck and Willie Nelson is smooth as hell. While the track — originally written in 1981 by Ned Sublette — sounds a bit tongue-and-cheek about how the traditionally masculine idea of a cowboy shares a lot of parallels with gay culture (“what did you think all them saddles and boots was about?”), Peck’s baritone and Nelson’s Texas drawl add another layer of flair to create a new classic. — T.M.

You might not think you need a nu-disco ode to the art of hotel hookups, but trust us when we say that you absolutely need to hear “Toro.” On her slick second single off her forthcoming new album Big Ideas, Remi Wolf leans into the funk-driven sounds that made her a name to watch in the first place. Grooving bass joins a chorus of glittering synths and staccato guitars as Wolf indulges in every bit of her lust, letting her vocal serve as a conduit for the song’s inherent sexuality with each passing line. — S.D.

The lead single off St. Vincent’s seventh studio album All Born Screaming, “Broken Man” features a tantalizing beat that slowly builds into some of the artist’s most seductive music in years. The tune is equal parts garage rock greatness and completely unhinged musicality. “Broken Man” is all sharp edges and fuzzy guitars that comes at the listener with a relentlessness (“what the hell are you looking at?”) reserved for rock stars of the highest order.   — T.M.

No matter how you encountered “Nasty” — be it that viral dance clip, its original April 12 release or the “match my freak” memes — Tinashe’s surprise hit an undeniable banger. A delightful tongue-in-cheek ode to the most dedicated yearners of our time, “Nasty” finds the cult pop star continuing to fine-tune her idiosyncratic amalgam of seductive electronic music, snappy hip-hop-infused production and irresistible melodies that straddle the worlds of pop and R&B. With “Nasty,” Tinashe makes 2024’s best argument for the effectiveness of simplicity. There are no frills here, just the subtly profound question of who will match her freak — whether that be her sexual prowess or her approach to life itself. — K.D.

If you’re trying to catch the purest vibe possible this summer, then Tokischa’s “SOL” is a must-listen. Over an irresistible reggeaton beat, the Dominican star makes it abundantly clear that she’s here for a good time. Her voice radiates with the same casual confidence that’s punctuated so many of her releases, yet “SOL” manages to offer something slightly different for Tokischa’s sound — joy. As she waxes poetic on her love of sex, parties and twerking, Tokischa has never sounded more in sync with her music’s exuberant attitude. — S.D.

“Being broke is boring,” declares Towa Bird over an electrifying riff and surging beat, staples of the emerging rocker’s sound. Meanwhile, “B.I.L.L.S.” details the staples of being a young person today — especially one living in Los Angeles (“I can’t even afford the jeans I’m wearing,” Bird sings, later groaning over the cost of a banana). The artist recently told Billboard she finds it “funny” her singles have been labeled “queer music”” saying she believes a better descriptor is simply “good music” – and a song as urgent as “B.I.L.L.S.” proves how right she is. — L.H.

VINCINT, like Adam Lambert, got a career boost by delivering knockout covers on a reality competition series (The Four for the former; American Idol for the latter), but these two vocal dynamos share something in common that’s much more relevant to this collab: Knowledge that the dancefloor is THE place for release in the LGBTQ community, and an intuitive understanding of how to deliver it. Their silky, seductive vocals slowly massage “Another Lover” from a wink to ecstatic release — proving that when you’re in the right hands, three minutes is more than enough. — J.L.

With a title like “b i g f e e l i n g s,” you would be forgiven for expecting Willow Smith’s song to be as bombastic as possible. Yet the genius of the 23-year-old’s stunning single lies in its quiet complexity. Increasingly intricate piano parts permeate through the genre-blending track, as Willow contends with the titular emotions roiling around her head. Time signature switches and tempo shake ups bring a sense of destabilization to the song, with Willow employing all the techniques she’s toyed with throughout her career into one beautiful, chaotic encapsulation of cognitive dissonance. — S.D.

Call it “Red Stag Supernova.” Zolita’s scorching, boots-knockin’ “Small Town Scandal” is essentially a country-fried version of Chappell Roan’s rollicking 2023 single, in which the California-bred singer-songwriter spills in delicious detail about ticking off (and titillating) the regulars at her local honky tonk by drinking whiskey and getting frisky with her same-sex dance partner (“Save a horse, ride a cowgirl”). You know the President of the Pink Pony Club would approve of a pun-intended-climactic bridge couplet like “She rode my big pink tractor straight until the dawn/ And she didn’t even care that I hadn’t mowed the lawn” — and she would love the lawn-mower roar that punctuated it afterwards. — A.U.